Snagging list: what to check before the final payment

A snagging list is the written record of every defect and unfinished job in a new home or a finished renovation, handed to the builder to put right. On a new build you usually have 2 years from completion to report snags. We give a room by room checklist, when to snag, what a professional survey costs, who fixes what, and how to snag your own builder's work before the final payment.

What is a snagging list?

A snag is any defect or unfinished piece of work: a door that catches, a missing length of silicone, a scratched worktop, a radiator that stays cold. A snagging list sets every one of them down in writing, with where it is, what is wrong and a photo. The builder gets a single document to work through, and you keep a record of what was reported and when.

Snags fall into 3 kinds, and sorting them tells the builder what to fix first:

• Cosmetic: paint splashes, scuffs, drips and runs, rough patches of plaster, chipped tiles.
• Functional: doors that stick, stiff windows, cupboards out of line, taps that drip, sockets that do not work.
• Structural: cracks in walls or ceilings, damp patches, loose roof tiles, faults in the foundations or the roof.

Not every mark is a snag. A crack narrower than a hairline in fresh plaster is normal in a new home. A crack wide enough to take the edge of a credit card is a defect, and it goes on the list.

A snagging list is also not a survey. A building survey reports on the condition of a house before you buy it. A snagging list checks finished work against the standard it should have been built to, and asks for it to be put right.

Who is responsible for a snagging list?

On a new build, you write the snagging list and the developer fixes what is on it. The developer has to put right any defect caused by building below the standards set by its warranty provider, such as NHBC, LABC Warranty, Premier Guarantee or Build-Zone.

The hard part is the grey area. Whether a gap or a wavy wall falls below the standard is a judgment, and the developer's customer care team will not always share yours. A written report from an independent snagging inspector carries more weight in that argument than a list you drew up yourself.

On a renovation or an extension, the builder or trade you hired answers for their own work. Nobody writes the list for you, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 backs you when a job has to be done again.

When to do a snagging inspection

A new build gives you 2 chances: before legal completion, and the 2 years after it. The first is the better one, because defects are easier to get fixed before completion, while the developer still wants the sale to close and before your furniture is in the way.

Before completion: the pre-completion inspection

A pre-completion inspection is a look round the finished home before you complete, and the developer decides whether to allow one. Under the New Homes Quality Code, a professional inspector doing one has to use the Code's template pre-completion inspection checklist.

It has limits. The developer can refuse to let you go round with the inspector you hired, and some developers allow only 1 hour on site. It is also a surface check, lighter than a building survey.

After you move in: the 2-year snagging period

You usually have 2 years from your completion date to report snags to the developer, who must fix them. After that you are usually covered only for major structural problems under the new home warranty. Under NHBC's Buildmark warranty, for example, the developer fixes defects in years 1 and 2, and NHBC insures major structural defects in years 3 to 10.

Send the first list in the first weeks, not the last months. A slow leak or a failed seal left alone does more damage the longer it runs, and the date you reported it is the date that counts.

Should you pay for a professional snagging survey?

Yes, if you are buying a new build and you do not work in the building trade. A professional snagging survey costs from £320, usually £350 to £600 plus VAT depending on the size of the home, and takes 2 to 6 hours on site.

A professional often finds 2 to 3 times as many snags as a buyer checking alone, and a typical new house turns up anywhere from 50 to 200. They catch the technical faults a buyer walks past, and the developer takes their written report more seriously than a buyer's notes.

A paid survey earns its fee when:

• You are buying a new build. The list can run past 150 items, and a surveyor's report is harder for the developer to dismiss.
• The developer allows a pre-completion inspection. The inspector knows the Code's template checklist and gets through the house in the time allowed.
• You do not work in the building trade. Roof, insulation and drainage faults are hard to spot without knowing where to look.
• You expect an argument. An independent report is stronger evidence than your own notes if the dispute reaches the warranty provider or the ombudsman.

Doing it yourself is enough when:

• The job is one room, such as a new kitchen or bathroom, and you watched the work go in.
• You are going back round before the second anniversary, checking against a list you already have.

How to do a snagging inspection yourself

Go in daylight, with the heating on and the water connected, and give it at least 2 to 4 hours. Work the same way through every room: ceiling, walls, windows, doors, floor, then everything that plugs in, switches on or runs water.

1. Start outside. Walk round the house and look up at the roof, gutters and brickwork before you go in.
2. Work room by room in a fixed order. Go top to bottom in each room, so nothing is checked twice or missed.
3. Test everything that moves or runs. Open and lock every door and window, run every tap, flush every toilet, switch on every light and try every socket.
4. Photograph each snag. Take one photo close up and one from further back, so the builder can find the spot.
5. Write each one down. Record the room, the exact position, what is wrong and the photo number.
6. Send the list in writing. Email it to the developer's customer care team and keep a copy.
7. Follow up in writing. Ask for a response within 14 days, and log every reply and every repair visit.

Snagging checklist: outside the house

Start outside, in dry weather and good light. These are the areas to check and what a snag looks like in each.

Snagging checklist: room by room

Inside, the same faults turn up in every room: paint, plaster, doors, floors and fittings. Check those everywhere, then add the items for each room below.

Every room

• Walls and ceilings: lumps, rough patches, cracks around door frames and corners, dents where the plasterboard screws sit.
• Paintwork: drips, runs, patchy coverage, splashes on floors, skirting and sockets.
• Doors: open and close without catching, latches and locks work, the gap round the edge is even.
• Windows: open, close and lock; no scratches or chips in the glass; no condensation between the panes.
• Floors: no squeaks or movement, level across the room, no gap at the skirting, smooth thresholds between rooms.
• Skirting, architraves and window boards: fixed tight, joints filled, no gaps.
• Radiators: each one heats evenly, with no cold patch at the top or bottom, and the valves turn without leaking.
• Sockets and switches: every one works, and the faceplates sit flush to the wall.

Hallway, stairs and landing

• Front door closes and locks first time, with the seals, letterbox and threshold fitted.
• Staircase has no creaking treads, the handrail is secure along its full length, and the gaps between the balusters are no wider than 10 cm.
• Loft hatch opens, closes and sits flush, and the insulation covers the whole loft floor.
• Smoke alarms are fitted and sound when tested.

Kitchen and utility room

• Cupboard doors and drawers open, close and line up; soft-close hinges work; handles are tight.
• Worktops are level, supported and unchipped, with neat, sealed joins between sections.
• Splashback and upstands are fitted and grouted.
• Sink and taps do not drip, hot and cold are the right way round, and the sink drains quickly without gurgling.
• Every supplied appliance runs, sits level and matches the specification.
• The extractor fan runs and clears steam.
• Plinths are fitted and the flooring is finished right up to the units.
• The washing machine connections are tested and dry.

Bathrooms and en-suites

• Bath and shower tray sit level and are sealed, and the bath panel is secure.
• The shower screen or enclosure does not leak when the shower runs.
• Silicone round the bath, shower and basin is neat and unbroken, with no gap at the corners.
• Tiles are level, uncracked and do not sound hollow when tapped, and the grout is complete and one colour.
• Taps, shower controls and the toilet flush all work, with good water pressure at every outlet.
• Waste pipes are sealed and plugholes drain without gurgling.
• The extractor fan runs and the towel rail heats.

Bedrooms and living rooms

• Fitted wardrobe doors run smoothly, shelves are level and hanging rails take the weight.
• TV and data points are where the plans show them.
• French or bi-fold doors open, close, lock and seal.
• Coving and cornice have no gaps or cracks at the joins.

Heating, electrics and services

• The consumer unit (fuse box) is labelled circuit by circuit.
• The boiler shows the right pressure, and it holds steady.
• Hot water reaches every tap, and the thermostatic radiator valves change the heat.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted and working.
• Outdoor sockets are weatherproof.
• Where fitted, the underfloor heating, mechanical ventilation, solar panels and EV charger all work.

The places people forget

Look inside every cupboard and wardrobe, under the stairs, in the loft, behind and under the kitchen appliances, at the overflow pipes outside, and in the meter boxes and utility cupboards. Snags hidden there are the ones that surface a year later.

Common snagging problems in new builds

The same problems come up again and again on new builds:

• Poorly fitted windows: stiff to open, not locking, or with gaps round the frame.
• Incomplete insulation: gaps or missing sections in the loft.
• Plumbing faults: dripping taps, slow waste pipes and weeping joints under sinks and baths.
• Uneven floors: dips, squeaks and boards that move underfoot.
• Loose or cracked roof tiles: easy to miss from the ground and hard to reach later.
• Paint and sealant: patchy paint, splashes, and silicone that stops short of the corner.

Most snags are minor and quick to fix. What matters is getting every one into writing inside the 2-year period.

What the builder does not have to fix

The 2-year period does not mean the developer fixes everything. The new home warranty sets out what counts, and these fall outside it:

Damage found at handover sits with the developer, as long as you report it quickly. Some developers ask for it within 7 days of legal completion. After that, it is hard to show a chipped worktop was there before the removal van arrived.

How to write up and send a snagging list

A snagging list works best as a table. Each row is one snag with a reference number, so emails and repair visits can refer to ‘item 14’ instead of ‘the door upstairs’.

Keep a column for the developer's response and one for the date each snag was fixed, and do not mark an item fixed until you have checked it yourself. Send the list by email to the developer's customer care team, so the date it arrived is on record.

The NHBC publishes a new build snagging checklist as a PDF, and it works as a room by room prompt while you go round. Your own numbered list, with photos and dates, is still the record that counts.

What to do if the builder will not fix snags

Most snags get fixed without a fight. When one drags on, escalate in this order, and keep a copy of every email, letter and visit date:

1. Chase in writing. Email the developer, list the open items by reference number, and ask for a response within 14 days.
2. Go to customer care. Take it to the developer's customer care team or a named manager, with the list and the photos.
3. Contact the warranty provider. Send the provider named on your warranty documents, such as NHBC, the list and the developer's replies.
4. Take it to the New Homes Ombudsman. Send the full paper trail: the list, the photos and every reply.
5. Take legal advice. Court is the last step, and the record from steps 1 to 4 is your evidence.

Snagging renovation and extension work

Snagging is the last stage of a renovation, and it runs the same way as on a new build: a walk round every room once the trades have finished, listing each defect for the builder to put right. The difference is that no developer's 2-year period applies. What you have is your contract, the law and the money you have not yet paid.

What the law says about faulty work

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, every contract to supply a service includes a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill. A leaking joint under a new basin or a door hung out of true is the kind of fault that fails that test.

Where the work falls short, you can require the trader to do it again. The trader must do so within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and must bear the cost, including labour and materials. Where putting it right is impossible, the Act gives you a price reduction instead.

The Act applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so these rights are the same wherever the work is done.

The paperwork to collect before you pay

Part of what you are paying for is paper. On a full plans application, the council issues the building regulations completion certificate if the work complies, and it usually arrives within 8 weeks of completion. As the owner you are ultimately responsible for compliance, and without the certificate you have nothing to show a buyer's solicitor when you sell.

Electrical work by a registered competent person comes with a BS 7671 Electrical Installation Certificate for every job. Notifiable work, such as a new circuit or a replacement consumer unit, also brings a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days of completion. Gas work, including a new boiler or hob, has to be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Holding back the final payment

Agree at quote stage that the last stage payment falls due when the snagging list is cleared, not on the day the builder leaves site. Write it into the payment schedule, so it is a term of the contract rather than a favour you ask for later.

A contingency of 10 to 20% in the renovation budget is there for what the work uncovers, such as rotten joists behind a wall. It is not there to pay a second firm to redo the first firm's snags.

Sign-off in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The consumer rights above are UK-wide, but the building paperwork differs outside England. Wales has its own Approved Documents and its own registered building control approvers. In Scotland, work that changes your home may need a building warrant from the council, and minor work such as a new bathroom still has to meet Scottish building standards even where no warrant is needed. Northern Ireland runs its own separate building control system.